Jo Galloway's ACL Surgery

by Jo Galloway
(Liverpool, England)

I tore my ACL in a step aerobics class. I literally just put my foot forward and felt this huge pop in my knee and my leg buckled. I thought at first I had dislocated my knee and it had popped back in. So.... because I have 3 young children and a very busy life I decided not to get it checked out.

One week later I was eating painkillers for fun, strapping my knee up and had consigned my high heels to the back of the wardrobe as my knee was totally unstable. So I took myself off to my GP who went mad at me for leaving it for so long. The surgeon I was referred to immediately diagnosed cruciate ligament damage and the MRI showed total rupture of my ACL. My surgery was scheduled for 10 days later and I was in shock...

I have to say I didn't realize the amount of pain I would be in. The surgeon and physios at the specialist center where I had my op made it seem like a walk in the park. Maybe it was to them as they do so many, but I wasn't prepared for the huge amount of pain I felt and also how long it would take before I felt normal again.

I am six weeks post op and I still feel in a lot of pain but....it is getting better each day and I am starting to see light at the end of the tunnel. But I think I am still a good few weeks from being able to drive again and go back to work. I still use one crutch and I can bend my knee a lot better but oh my the pain!!!

I still cant do the leg raises without feeling intense pressure and pain in the area of my scar. I have had one physio tell me not to worry about that type of exercise and another tell me they are the most important ones to do! Either way my quads have withered. I have been doing chair raises to try and improve them but does anyone know of any other exercises that might help.

I am open to anything!!!!